The Labor enquirer., 1887-02-05
Does the Degraded Wage Slave
Enjoy Life and
Liberty
Industrial Changes Or : Phys
ieal Revolution Must
Come.
Something Wrosg In . Systen That
Grinds Heart and Soul Out
Of Labor.

able to accept anIinvitation 70 speak at .
labor meeting, ID he wrote the following
letter to the committee:
For centuries the law and the govern
ment interposed on the side Of the capi-
talist in order to lessen the laborer's
share.
Thego God gave this earth and the
fuIlness thereof to the children Of men,
for their use and benefit. And the fdn-
damental doctrine ofthe republic 10 that
all men are created equal and that
among their unslienable rights are life.
liberty and the pursuit Of happiness.
But the daily growing greed Of monopoly
tramples nercilessly upon both ofthese
bequeathed rights. It wants the whole
earth for itself and regards with wonder
ment the desire Of the weary-eyed SOCIAL
slave to raise bis impoverished head,
tread for an hour the fresh green srseh
drink in the glad sunshine Of the blue
skies and listen to the wild birds song
on Towering tree. stor life. liberty and
the pursuit Of happiness. does the aver
age wage worker enjoy themf Look At
the pale faced factory girl. hurrying ON
mid the wind and sleet before 'tis light,
with scant dinner in her hands glance
at the hectic check and stopped shoul-
ders Of the store girl. with feet weary
from the never ending hours; behold
the tired laborer, going home to his
half starved and half naked family IN
the wretched tenement hovel. Do they
live? They simply exist Do they en-
ioy liberty? Alas. their davs and years
are spent in grinding slavery. Do they
know what happiness is? If they do,
it comes like a white winged messenger
from the skies. in spite Of the bondage
of their taskmasters.
Surely there must be something radi-
cally wrong in the social system that
thus, like huge devil Hsh. sucks out the
very heart and soul of labor, and makes
the splendor of the palace look, down
upon the squalor Of the cabin that
builds up colossal fortunes upon the
want and woe. the tears and blood ofthe
toiling millions.
Verify, IN the words Of Bishop Spald-
ing. the workman now is only part OF
the machine. He requires little train
ing and less skill. And because any
body can do this work it is easy to find
people who will do it cheaplv, and 30
wages sink until the operator receives
barely enough to keep him from starvs-
ton. If, from whatever cause. he ceases
to work: heis at once pauper. and
vet there are numbers waiting to take
his place. The social evolution has
brought forth new species, race Of
human machines whose destiny Is to be
a part of the iron mechanism which
transforms the world. This race forms
a people apart nothing like it has ever
been seen until now either IN pagan or
Christian civilization. They have the
name Of freemen, but are indeed slaves,
they make the most costly fabrics, and
are clothed in rags; they work in pal
aces, and live in tenements and novels.
Their labor is the most painful and the
most fatal to human life their wages
are go low that mothers md children
are forced to throw themselves into tho
lass of Moloch to esca:e starvation.
When they are old or lnarm they are
thrown into the street or poor house,
and the rich man who has hired them
is guiltless before God and men. When
the wheels Of machinery stop the whole
race is driven to the public trough, to
be fed like cattle. until the shambles are
again in readiness. -
Goldsmith formulated an imperishs-
BILE truth when he sang:
| Ill fares the land, to hast'ning Ills prey
Where wealth accumulates and men decay
Oppression of the poor BY the rich
and of the weak by the strong, has often
brought terrible revenge. 1t is the fruit
full parent of remorseless progeny. 1t
begat Socialism in Germany, Commu-
nism in France. Nihilism in Russia, and
in the dread French Revolution deluged
that fair land In blood.
We quite agree with a writer in thu
current American Catholic Quarterl,
Review that Unless our mammoth cap
italists and corporations learn and prac
tice Justice. fairness and consideration
or their employees unless they abstain
from the illegal, unjust and extortionats
measures Of which they are notoriousl'
guilty; unless they themselves respect
and obey the law. We risk nothing IN
predicting that, before another genera
tion comes upon the stage Of active life
there will be here, in the United States
Social Revolution that will involve in
describable confusion and destruction OF